Kids in the Kitchen

The dreaded half term is here and as much as we all love our children, keeping them entertained is always a challenge.

Tuesday, 27 May 2014

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The temptation to let them sit in front of one screen or another is tempting (especially if the weather is awful), but here's something I do that my kids love.

We cook together. For them it's fun, it's messy and it's creative. They learn about food and develop a life skill that I believe every child should have. Best of all, you might find that they actually eat the food if they cook it themselves!

Now don't worry, not all Indian food is spicy or over-powering. My kids were weaned on lentil dhal and rice (without the chilli) and they loved it. In fact, I think that Indian food is great for children as it is basically pretty healthy. Plus, the earlier you introduce them to new flavours, new ingredients and cuisines the better, and by cooking it at home from scratch you'll know the food is really good for them.

So here are some of my kid's favourite dishes so you can get yours cooking in the kitchen over the holidays.

The recipe can look daunting, but you just need to be organised. First, make the pastry, then make the stuffing, and the rest is easy. I recently taught over 30 children to make these and if they can do it then you can! I can guarantee your children will love them.

Ok, ok... not quite tops on the health front but making something fun and chocolatey is fine now and again. This is a really lovely (and easy) pudding that tastes deliciously different. If you're unsure about the cardamom flavour, just use cinnamon instead, or just leave it out altogether. My children always pick out the pistachios as well!

Our family would eat Naan everyday if we could. I love showing the children the frothing yeast and then getting them to knead the dough, sticky fingers and flour flying across the kitchen. Sounds messy? Sounds fun? It is.